Announcing the recipients of the inaugural CHU Green Grant Program

CHU, today announced the recipients of its inaugural Green Grant Program, awarding $50,000 across seven strata communities to bring resident-led sustainability and community-benefit projects to life.

The selected projects span five states and territories and reflect the breadth of action Australian strata communities are taking to create healthier, more sustainable communities. Recipients are recognised for their proactive action on initiatives ranging from rooftop solar and apartment electrification to community gardens, composting, native habitat restoration and recycling programs that give back to those in need.

“These projects are proof of what strata communities can achieve when residents come together with a shared goal,” said Kimberley Jonsson, Chief Executive Officer of CHU.

“From a Brunswick building electrifying its hot water, to a community in the ACT turning recycling into fresh meals for people in need, every recipient is making a real difference.  

“So often, initiatives like these offer long term benefits to communities, but require significant upfront investment that can be difficult for owners to fund. Supporting these projects is central to our commitment to a healthier, more resilient and more sustainable strata communities across Australia.”

Launched in 2025, the Green Grant Program is open to policyholders of CHU’s Residential Strata Insurance to help bodies corporate and Owners Corporations fund initiatives that reduce their environmental footprint, improve energy efficiency and strengthen community wellbeing. Applications were assessed by a CHU panel against the program’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria.

The Green Grant Program builds on CHU’s broader sustainability commitments, including its role as a signatory to the Strata Community Association’s Sustainability Charter and its adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. CHU remains committed to partnering with strata communities and industry stakeholders to improve climate resilience and deliver a more sustainable future for strata living in Australia.

The 2026 CHU Green Grant recipients are:

• Brunswick, VIC: A 12-lot owners corporation is being recognised for an ambitious project that serves as a working blueprint for addressing sustainability and cost of living issues in Australia’s ageing apartment stock. The grant will be used towards the replacement of ageing individual gas and electric systems with a shared, high-efficiency heat pump network powered by the building’s existing rooftop solar.
• Braddon, ACT: A strata community is being recognised for their strong social alignment and innovative support of the Inner North Street Pantry Network. The grant will be used to strengthen the infrastructure for their recycling efforts through the ACT Container Deposit Scheme, with all proceeds received going towards purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables for those in need.
• Parkside, SA: An owners corporation is being recognised for a simple but thoughtful initiative that combines sustainability with resident well-being through turning balconies and terraces into productive garden spaces. The grant will support tailored planting guidance for each unit and a community planting day to build connections and foster a stronger community.
• Box Hill, VIC: A strata community is being recognised for a project to create a native garden and improve liveability, sense of community and long-term health of the strata community. The funding will be used to plant indigenous native gardens across common property to improve biodiversity and create wildlife habitat connectivity.
• Torquay, QLD: A body corporate is being recognised for a comprehensive initiative with clear long-term community and environmental benefits that will enhance resident wellbeing and bring owner-occupiers and tenants closer together. The grant will be used to support native shade tree planting, which reduces energy usage; smart drip irrigation to reduce water usage; and planting community vegetable gardens, which will create stronger resident connections.
• Victoria Park, WA: A strata community is being recognised for a practical initiative that addresses sustainability through both emissions reduction and waste circularity. The grant will be used towards the installation of rooftop solar with battery storage, alongside expanded vermicomposting and organic composting systems to divert household waste from landfill and create natural fertiliser for greenery on-site.
• Indooroopilly, QLD: A body corporate is being recognised for a significant riverbank restoration and sustainability project designed to improve flood resilience and ecological function of the land on which the building sits. The grant money will be used to remove invasive species and plant flood-resilient natives, with pollinator and bird habitat features to improve ecological function and water quality along a visible river corridor.

The full list of recipients can be found at CHU’s Green Grant web page here.

Applications for the next round of the CHU Green Grant Program will open later in 2026.